Death Formulae and the Burial Place of the Kings of the House of David 1. Death Formulae of the Late Kings of Judah The closing formulae about the death of a king describe his demise and burial place, followed by the name of his successor — but only when the king died peacefully in his bed. When the king was murdered, or otherwise died a violent death, or was deported and died in exile, the ‘slept with his ancestors’ formula is left out. The basic death formula for the kings of Judah, from David to Ahaz, is ‘and so-and-so slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David; and so-and-so his son reigned in his stead’. The formulae for the three kings who were killed in uprisings (Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah) are identical, except for the element of peaceful death (1). The death formula changes in the histories of the kings from Hezekiah onward. The words ‘(was buried) with his ancestors in the city of David’ disappear. A striking omission of the burial place appears in the case of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20,21): ‘And Hezekiah slept with his ancestors, and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead’(2). Manasseh was buried ‘in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza’ (2 Kgs 22,18); his son, Amon, was buried ‘in his tomb in the garden of Uzza’ (2 Kgs 22,26). The burial place of Josiah is not mentioned, and it is only stated that his servants ‘buried him in his tomb’ (2 Kgs 23,30). Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah who were deported, died and were buried in exile, have no death formula, whereas Jehoiakim has the formula of a king who died peacefully in his bed, but his burial place is missing (2 Kgs 24,6). The LXXL version adds, ‘he was buried in the garden of Uzza with his ancestors’. Some scholars have suggested that the supplement is original and was omitted due to homoioteleuton (3), while (1) For the closing formulae in the Book of Kings, see A. JEPSEN, Die Quellen des Königsbuches (Halle 21956) 30-40; S.R. BIN-NUN, “Formulas from Royal Records of Israel and Judah”, VT 18 (1968) 429-432; R.D. NELSON, The Double Redaction of the Deuteronomistic History (JSOTSS 18; Sheffield 1981) 29-41; I.W. PROVAN, Hezekiah and the Books of Kings. A Contribution to he Debate about the Composition of the Deuteronomistic History (BZAW 172; Berlin – New York 1988) 134-138; B. HALPERN – D.S. VANDERHOOFT, “The Editions of Kings in the 7th–6th Centuries B.C.E.”, HUCA 62 (1991) 183-199; K.A.D. SMELIK – H.J. VAN SOEST, “Overlijdensteksten in het boek Koningen”, ACEBT 13 (1994) 56-71; E. EYNIKEL, The Reform of King Josiah and the Composition of the Deuteronomistic History (OTS 33; Leiden 1996) 129-135. (2) 2 Chr 32,33 relates that Hezekiah was buried ‘in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David’. It is unlikely that the Chronicler had a different version of the Book of Kings than the one we have. Rather he was trying to fill in the gap that he found in his source. The description of Hezekiah’s burial in the upper part of the tombs of his predecessors and the honour that all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem showed him at his death – both signs of exceptional distinction – was composed by the Chronicler in keeping with his very high valuation of Hezekiah. See E.L. CURTIS, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Books of Chronicles (ICC; Edinburgh 1910) 493-494; W. RUDOLPH, Chronikbücher (HAT 1/21; Tübingen 1955) 313-314; H.G.M. WILLIAMSON, 1 and 2 Chronicles (NCBC; Grand Rapids – London 1982) 388; S. JAPHET, I & II Chronicles. A Commentary (OTL; Louisville 1993) 997-998. (3) O. THENIUS, Die Bücher der Könige (KEH 9; Leipzig 1873) 461-462; I. BENZINGER, Die Bücher der Könige erklärt (KHC IX; Freiburg 1899) 197; A. ∏ANDA, Die